Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the leader of the country’s most popular party, said he’ll run in the January presidential election.
The chemicals, agriculture and media billionaire, who supported ex-U.S. President Donald Trump until the 2021 Capitol riot, announced his candidacy in a live news program of the private channel TV Nova on Sunday. He’ll seek one of the top Czech political posts just over a year after losing a parliamentary election to a coalition of center-right parties.
The president’s job is mostly ceremonial, with key executive powers held by the government. But the head of state plays a formal role in the creation of the cabinet, is the supreme military commander and chooses the central bank’s policy-making board and appoints judges.
